West Elk Fire
The West Elk Fire burned 1,587 acres in Gunnison County, Colorado, in 2008. It was discovered on July 4, 2008, and contained on November 25, 2008. The cause was recorded as natural.
- Size
- 1,587 acres
- Discovered
- July 4, 2008
- Contained
- November 25, 2008
- Cause
- Natural
Map
The final perimeter from the Interagency Fire Perimeter History, 1,587 acres. Point of origin as reported, 38.551, -107.267.
The record
- Reported final size
- 1,587 acres
- Area inside the final perimeter
- 1,587 acres
- Discovered
- July 4, 2008, 5:00 p.m. local time
- Contained
- November 25, 2008, 5:00 p.m. local time
- Cause
- Natural
- State
- Colorado
- County
- Gunnison County
- Land ownership at origin
- Forest Service
- Reporting unit
- Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests
- Agency
- Forest Service
- Unit
- COGMF
- Incident type
- Wildfire
- Fire occurrence record
- FS-1473000
The three sizes are three measurements: the size the agency reported when the fire was out, the burned area MTBS drew from satellite imagery before and after, and the GIS area inside the final perimeter, unburned islands included. They rarely agree exactly.
Other large fires in Colorado in 200812
| Fire | Acres | Start | Cause |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bridger Fire | 45,814 | Jun 9, 2008 | Natural |
| Mayberry Fire | 25,385 | Aug 24, 2008 | Natural |
| TA-25 Fire | 9,064 | Apr 15, 2008 | Human |
| Ordway Crowley Co Fire | 8,900 | Apr 15, 2008 | Human |
| Prong Fire | 5,395 | Aug 24, 2008 | Natural |
| Unnamed Fire | 3,527 | Jul 3, 2008 | |
| Haynes Creek Fire | 1,600 | Oct 2, 2008 | Natural |
| Coal Creek Wfu Fire | 1,485 | Jul 8, 2008 | Natural |
| Snakeweed Fire | 1,227 | Apr 14, 2008 | Human |
| Nash Ranch Fire | 1,115 | Jun 24, 2008 | Natural |
| Jordan Fire | 1,031 | Aug 25, 2008 | Natural |
| Garfield Co 1 Fire | 1,000 | Apr 15, 2008 | Human |
Nearby
Sources
Perimeters from the National Interagency Fire Center’s Interagency Fire Perimeter History, compiled from the Forest Service, BLM, BIA, Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service, the Alaska Interagency Fire Center and CAL FIRE. Fire reports from Short, Karen C. 2022, Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014], 6th Edition, Forest Service Research Data Archive, doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6. Records before 2014 were joined by this site: a fire report to the burned area its MTBS identifier names, a perimeter to the burned area it lies in when the names or the sizes agree.